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MEMBER DIARY

Charles Krauthammer is right

Krauthammer says that John Boehner and the House Republicans should call Obama’s bluff. Earlier this week, he proposed that the Republicans should pass a $500 billion cut in spending and a $500 billion increase in the debt ceiling. This would buy 3 to 5 months of time to work towards passage of tax reform and to sell CCB. After the President’s press conference tonight, Krauthammer was furious. He upped the ante by saying that the House Republicans should pass a short term increase in the debt ceiling and then recess the House for their summer break. Boehner should dare Harry Reid and Barack Obama to reject the short term increase. Obama would have to either eat his idle threat to veto a short term increase or allow the government to default. If they didn’t agree to the short term measure, then Obama and the Democrats would own the default.

Ron Johnson was on board with this plan tonight also. He noted that the Krauthammer proposal would give Republicans the time and opportunity to sell CCB to the country. It should be clear, however, that ultimately CCB will be the only acceptable path to a long term deal on raising the debt ceiling. Given the polls that show the public supports a balanced budget amendment (75%)–the House Republicans need to buy our side some time. And conservative 527’s need to crank up the ads to sell CCB. John Boehner needs to recognize that he can’t negotiate in good faith with the Democrats (or even Mitch McConnell for that matter)–the Krauthammer plan doesn’t require negotiations. The House should immediately pass the Krauthammer plan and tell the President, Harry Reid, and Dick Durbin to take it or leave it. Then they should go home.

Conservatives need to begin immediately pushing the Krauthammer plan as the only acceptable temporary back-up to CCB. We should also continue to make it clear that the McConnell Pontius Pilate Plan is totally unacceptable and should not even be debated or brought to a vote by the House–since Harry Reid stifled open debate on CCB in the Senate. I’m making my calls tomorrow. And I’m ready to write a check to help pay for ads.